Phoenix Coyotes scoring without offense

Feb. 11, 2013 - Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson (23) celebrates with center Kyle Chipchura (24) and left wing Lauri Korpikoski (28) after scoring a goal during the third period against the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center.

During their recently completed three-game road trip, the Coyotes were shut out twice and scored a total of three goals.

And yet they scooped up four points out of a possible six for a 2-1 showing.

“Points are indicative of us finding ways to win games, which is good,” coach Dave Tippett said. “I still think we can play a lot better.”

The Coyotes (6-6-2) return to Jobing.com Arena for a two-game set before they’re back on the road touring western Canada. They host the Columbus Blue Jackets Saturday night before the Calgary Flames arrive for a meeting Monday.

If their offense can find a way to catch up to the standard of their defensive play, they’ll be better positioned to go 3-for-3 on their next trip out of town.

“When you’re not capitalizing on chances, you have to rely on your defending and goaltending too much. You’re leaving a lot to chance,” Tippett said. “We have to bear down around the net more. We have to get more contributions from our lineup, and that will help us win just like strong defending helps us win.”

Eight players have scored at least three goals. Center Martin Hanzal has a team high with five. Only the Tampa Bay Lightning had more scorers (11) with at least three goals, entering Friday’s action.

So the committee effort has been there through the first month of the season but even that has been streaky.

“It kind of goes in ebbs and flows a little bit,” Tippett said. “Early in the year it seemed goals were in abundance. We couldn’t keep them out of our net. Now we’re struggling scoring a little bit, but we’ve played better defensively.

“If we can find that happy balance of scoring and defending well, I think that’s the best recipe for success in the league.”

Generating more scoring opportunities would help with that. The Coyotes took 19 shots against the Predators and 21 against the Sharks, getting shut out in both games. In all but one game in which they’ve scored at least three goals, the Coyotes have had at least 30 shots on goal.

“There’s different players getting different chances, and the amount of chances we’re getting right now is not enough,” Tippett said. “We’ve got to find a way to create more offensively without giving anything up on the defensive side.”

Tippett has mixed up his lines the past two games. Centers Antoine Vermette and Boyd Gordon have alternated between the duos of Doan and Lauri Korpikoski and Steve Sullivan and David Moss.

The line of Hanzal, Mikkel Boedker, and Radim Vrbata has been the one trio that’s been left alone.

It’s likely the experimenting with the forwards will continue until the Coyotes find a lineup that produces consistently.

“Every day you’re looking for ways to spark your group or tweak and prod, trying to make sure we get the most out of everybody,” Tippett said. “We’ll continue to do that. It’s all about trying to find a way to get points.”

Injury update

Defenseman Derek Morris, who suffered an upper-body injury in the first period of Thursday’s game, is day to day. He met with the team’s doctor Friday and still felt sore.

Blue Jackets update

The Blue Jackets started a six-game road trip Friday night in Los Angeles, and that was their first game with a new general manager at the helm. Jarmo Kekalainen was named to the position Wednesday after Scott Howson was fired. Kekalainen is the league’s first European general manager. The Blue Jackets lost three straight (one in overtime) before beating the Sharks 6-2 on Monday. Center Mark Letestu leads the Blue Jackets with five goals, and defenseman Fedor Tyutin has a team-high nine assists and 10 points.

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